Research: Mario Detail

Best-Selling Mario-Related Titles
(Units Sold in Millions)

Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1985)
40.24
Mario Kart Wii (Wii, 2008)
21.90
New Super Mario Bros. (DS, 2006)
21.73
Super Mario World (SNES, 1991)
20.61
Super Mario Land (Game Boy, 1989)
18.14

Sales data: VGChartz.co

The main series of Mario games have largely stuck to a tried-and-true formula of having Mario fighting to save damsel in distress Princess Peach, who’s been kidnapped by dastardly villain Bowser (a spiked turtle-like Koopa creature that breathes fire), and restoring order to the Mushroom Kingdom.

As the years have passed, Mario has evolved from 2D side-scroller to 3D platformer, and in addition to having his own series, he has become Nintendo’s #1 mascot (sorry, Legend of Zelda andMetroid). Mario has appeared in countless spinoffs such as the Mario Kart (racing), Super Smash Bros. (fighting), and Paper Mario (RPG) series of games. In fact, he’s so popular that even minor Mario characters have their own franchises: Evil Mario villain Wario has the Wario Land series and the micro-game WarioWare titles under his nefarious belt; Mario’s brother Luigi became a ghostbuster in Luigi’s Mansion, while Mario’s dino friend Yoshi has appeared in Yoshi’s Story and several other titles.

The whole Mario universe is also represented in the Mario Party games and in several sports titles such as Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Superstar Baseball, and Super Mario Strikers. The latest Mario release, Super Mario Galaxy 2 (the sequel to the Wii's all-time high-scoring game Super Mario Galaxy), promises more interplanetary excitement and thrills while giving Mario fans an excuse to dust off their Wii this summer after playing Mario’s last adventure New Super Mario Bros. Wii during the winter months. 

It’s hard to believe that there was a time before we all knew and loved our favorite mustachioed Italian plumber, Mario. Created by famed videogame designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario—or Jumpman, as he was originally called—first debuted in arcades in 1981 withDonkey Kong and has since shown up in over 200 videogame titles since.

After appearing with his brother Luigi in Mario Brothers, Mario was bundled with the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the revolutionary worldwide side-scrolling sensation Super Mario Bros.Mario and Nintendo became household names and innovators, taking over the console gaming market from previous market leader Atari and continuing to expand the Mario universe.

source: http://www.metacritic.com/feature/super-mario-series-from-best-to-worst